- Email: [email protected]
Rotary drum filter
Removing nitrates from drinking water What is said to be Britain’s largest, full-scale, nitratesremoval plant for public water supply recently went onstream at lsleham Source Works, Anglian Water. The plant, which first produced nitrate-free water for testing purposes at the end of October, has a throughput of 4.5Mlid. It was engineered and constructed by PWT Projects, under a contract awarded in March last year. The lsleham Works, which serves some 20,000 people in an area 15 miles north east of Cambridge, draws its water from four existing borehole sourceseach with a different level of nitrate contamination. The dissolved nitrate is removed by passing a blend of the borehole waters through nitrate-selective ion exchange resin, contained in three steel pressure vessels l%m diameter, 4m high. The ion ex-
Economic solvent recovery Among the solvent recovery systems supplied by Swiss chemical engineers, List AG, represented in the UK by ACM Process, is one for the postpolymerisation drying of synthetic rubbers. The conventional process utilises two-stage steam stripping in large vessels to remove organic solvents
In-line analyser The latest version of its in-line particle size analyser was launched by Belstock Controls earlier this month at the Control and Instrumentation Exhibition, Birmingham. The Par-Tee 100 is said to be the world’s first analyser capable of measuring particle size either in-line or in the laboratory at full process concentrations in the chemical, pharmaceutical, paper, food, petrochemical, oil and mining industries on applications such as emulsions, fermentations, ball mill grinding, pulp and paper, and crystallisation processes. The analyser is based on scanning laser microscope (SLM) technology and measures in the range l-1000 microns. The sensor probe can be directly inserted in the process pipeline or reactor vessel to monitor and control particle size distribution in Filtration & Separation
May/June
change vessels are taken sequentially out of service, for regeneration of the resin using a brine solution which ‘displaces’ the captured nitrate ions. De-nitrified water passes to a treated water tank where it is chlorinated and pumped into the public supply. The modular, skid-mounted process plant could be readily extended or relocated to another site as nitrate levels change.
In addition to providing improved drinking water for the locality, the lsleham plant is seen as a full-scale development unit for optimising the ion-exchange and resin regeneration processes. The picture shows the ion exchange vessels and associated machinery skid. Resin regeneration pumps and nitrate monitors are to the right. PWT Projects Ltd, Permutit House 632-652 London Road, Isleworth, Middlesex TW74E.Z
Faudi integration Faudi Feinbau’s daughter company, Atlantik Geratebau GmbH of Stadtallendorf, has recently been integrated into the main company to reinforce the company’s market position and aid expansion. The previous production programme of the integrated company is to be continued under the product name Atlantik. Production will continue to be carried out at both plants. Faudi Feinbau GmbH, Postfach 1267, Im Diezen 4, D-6370 Oberursel, West Germany.
Biotech ultrafilters
which must then be expensively separated from water. To achieve this, the wet rubber from coagulated second stage stripping is passed through a dewatering screw and finally dried using a high powered extruder. Typically, using the conventional process, each tonne of rubber requires approximately 4t of steam and 340kW of electrical energy. List’s process employs
real time without sampling or dilution with new readings taken every two or three seconds. The system is provided with an IBM compatible lap-top computer which analyses and presents results either in raw data, equivalent spherical diameters or volume size distribution using a menu driven system with various graphical displays and printouts. Be/stock Confrols, 10 Moss Hall Crescent, London Nl28NY.
1990
direct continuous evaporation of the solvent which avoids organic/steam contact, eliminating the costly solvent separation step. In this direct process, rubber solution with some 12% solids from the polymerisation step is heated and flash evaporated at atmospheric pressure. The resulting 20% solids solution is pumped through a second heater to its maximum allowable temperature and flashed into an APConti twin shaft kneaderdryer. As the product passes through the unit, solvent is removed and viscosity increased. Intermeshing shafts knead the mass, clear the heating surfaces and continually renew product surface for efficient heat transfer and vapour disengagement. A self-cleaning twin screw extruder system discharges the final product with a residual solvent content said to be less than 1%. Besides effecting discharge, the twin screw forms an effective plug seal if high vacuum is employed. Valuable uncontaminated solvent vapours are condensed and collected for re-use. Energy consumption can be 1t of steam and 150kW per tonne of rubber - less than a third that of the conventional process. ACM Process Ltd. Old Kiln House, Silchester Road, Tadley, Hants RG25 6PX.
Following the signing of an exclusive UK distribution the complete agreement, range of Filtron ultrafiltration membranes and systems for biotechnology laboratories is now available from the bioprocess division of Elga. The Filtron ultrafiltration products incorporate polymeric, polyethersulphone membranes that are manufactured in a novel reproducible process which is said to enable them to be produced to the highest possible specification. Four membrane types are available; the Nova (standard PES), Omega (low binding), Alpha (antifoam resistant) and Sigma (steam sterilisable). All are available in a wide range of molecular weight cut-offs, from 1 K to lOOOK and microporous pore sizes from 0.16 to 0.8pm. The membranes are encapsulated in tangential, crossflow filtration cassette designed for systems, continuous-flow filtration, separation, concentration and desalting of biological and chemical solutions. Elga Ltd, Lane End, High Wycombe, Bucks HP14 3JH.
Rotary drum filter A second rotary drum vacuum filter is to be supplied by Stockdale Filtration Systems to the Kenya Fluorspan Co. Because of the extreme abrasiveness of any fines contained in the filtrate, special care has been taken in the design of the peripheral equipment: line hoses will be shot blasted and the large diameter valves will be urethane lined. The filter will also be equipped with a centre flow drain line and scraper discharge. Stockdale Filtration Systems Ltd. Stockdale House, Waters Green, Macclesfield, Ches SKI 16LF. 155
Economic solvent recovery Among the solvent recovery systems supplied by Swiss chemical engineers, List AG, represented in the UK by ACM Process, is one for the postpolymerisation drying of synthetic rubbers. The conventional process utilises two-stage steam stripping in large vessels to remove organic solvents
In-line analyser The latest version of its in-line particle size analyser was launched by Belstock Controls earlier this month at the Control and Instrumentation Exhibition, Birmingham. The Par-Tee 100 is said to be the world’s first analyser capable of measuring particle size either in-line or in the laboratory at full process concentrations in the chemical, pharmaceutical, paper, food, petrochemical, oil and mining industries on applications such as emulsions, fermentations, ball mill grinding, pulp and paper, and crystallisation processes. The analyser is based on scanning laser microscope (SLM) technology and measures in the range l-1000 microns. The sensor probe can be directly inserted in the process pipeline or reactor vessel to monitor and control particle size distribution in Filtration & Separation
May/June
change vessels are taken sequentially out of service, for regeneration of the resin using a brine solution which ‘displaces’ the captured nitrate ions. De-nitrified water passes to a treated water tank where it is chlorinated and pumped into the public supply. The modular, skid-mounted process plant could be readily extended or relocated to another site as nitrate levels change.
In addition to providing improved drinking water for the locality, the lsleham plant is seen as a full-scale development unit for optimising the ion-exchange and resin regeneration processes. The picture shows the ion exchange vessels and associated machinery skid. Resin regeneration pumps and nitrate monitors are to the right. PWT Projects Ltd, Permutit House 632-652 London Road, Isleworth, Middlesex TW74E.Z
Faudi integration Faudi Feinbau’s daughter company, Atlantik Geratebau GmbH of Stadtallendorf, has recently been integrated into the main company to reinforce the company’s market position and aid expansion. The previous production programme of the integrated company is to be continued under the product name Atlantik. Production will continue to be carried out at both plants. Faudi Feinbau GmbH, Postfach 1267, Im Diezen 4, D-6370 Oberursel, West Germany.
Biotech ultrafilters
which must then be expensively separated from water. To achieve this, the wet rubber from coagulated second stage stripping is passed through a dewatering screw and finally dried using a high powered extruder. Typically, using the conventional process, each tonne of rubber requires approximately 4t of steam and 340kW of electrical energy. List’s process employs
real time without sampling or dilution with new readings taken every two or three seconds. The system is provided with an IBM compatible lap-top computer which analyses and presents results either in raw data, equivalent spherical diameters or volume size distribution using a menu driven system with various graphical displays and printouts. Be/stock Confrols, 10 Moss Hall Crescent, London Nl28NY.
1990
direct continuous evaporation of the solvent which avoids organic/steam contact, eliminating the costly solvent separation step. In this direct process, rubber solution with some 12% solids from the polymerisation step is heated and flash evaporated at atmospheric pressure. The resulting 20% solids solution is pumped through a second heater to its maximum allowable temperature and flashed into an APConti twin shaft kneaderdryer. As the product passes through the unit, solvent is removed and viscosity increased. Intermeshing shafts knead the mass, clear the heating surfaces and continually renew product surface for efficient heat transfer and vapour disengagement. A self-cleaning twin screw extruder system discharges the final product with a residual solvent content said to be less than 1%. Besides effecting discharge, the twin screw forms an effective plug seal if high vacuum is employed. Valuable uncontaminated solvent vapours are condensed and collected for re-use. Energy consumption can be 1t of steam and 150kW per tonne of rubber - less than a third that of the conventional process. ACM Process Ltd. Old Kiln House, Silchester Road, Tadley, Hants RG25 6PX.
Following the signing of an exclusive UK distribution the complete agreement, range of Filtron ultrafiltration membranes and systems for biotechnology laboratories is now available from the bioprocess division of Elga. The Filtron ultrafiltration products incorporate polymeric, polyethersulphone membranes that are manufactured in a novel reproducible process which is said to enable them to be produced to the highest possible specification. Four membrane types are available; the Nova (standard PES), Omega (low binding), Alpha (antifoam resistant) and Sigma (steam sterilisable). All are available in a wide range of molecular weight cut-offs, from 1 K to lOOOK and microporous pore sizes from 0.16 to 0.8pm. The membranes are encapsulated in tangential, crossflow filtration cassette designed for systems, continuous-flow filtration, separation, concentration and desalting of biological and chemical solutions. Elga Ltd, Lane End, High Wycombe, Bucks HP14 3JH.
Rotary drum filter A second rotary drum vacuum filter is to be supplied by Stockdale Filtration Systems to the Kenya Fluorspan Co. Because of the extreme abrasiveness of any fines contained in the filtrate, special care has been taken in the design of the peripheral equipment: line hoses will be shot blasted and the large diameter valves will be urethane lined. The filter will also be equipped with a centre flow drain line and scraper discharge. Stockdale Filtration Systems Ltd. Stockdale House, Waters Green, Macclesfield, Ches SKI 16LF. 155